The bill would rename Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as Ocmulgee Mounds National Park. It would allow the Interior Secretary to acquire land for the park and a new national preserve through purchases from willing sellers, donations, or exchanges. The preserve would be established once enough land has been acquired to form a manageable unit. The bill does not authorize eminent domain.
The park and preserve would be managed as one National Park System unit. A management plan would address cultural resources, sacred places, and important cultural landscapes. The bill also provides for hunting and fishing, subject to applicable laws and possible limits, and creates an advisory council with tribal, state, and federal representatives. It would place about 126 acres owned by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation into trust for the Tribe.
Landowners in the mapped areas could choose whether to sell or exchange land; the bill does not authorize the government to take land through eminent domain. Visitors could hunt or fish in areas covered by the bill, subject to applicable laws and possible restrictions. The bill also calls for protection of sacred and cultural sites and access to them for members of tribes with ancestral connections to the Ocmulgee River Corridor.
The bill authorizes appropriations of sums necessary to carry it out but does not specify an amount.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.